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Medical Malpractice: Failure to Diagnose Bacterial Meningitis
Failure to diagnose meningitis is considered medical malpractice. Are you or a loved one the victim of meningitis medical malpractice?
Meningitis is an infection of the fluid of a person’s spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain. It is sometimes referred to as spinal meningitis. The disease is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.
The severity of the disease depends on whether meningitis caused by bacteria or a virus. Viral meningitis is usually less severe and can be cured without specific treatment, but bacterial meningitis is far more serious and may result in brain damage, hearing loss, learning disability, or even death.
Early diagnosis and identifying the specific type of bacteria that caused the meningitis can be significant because antibiotics can prevent some types from spreading and infecting other people.
Only about 3,000 Americans contact meningitis annually. Teens and young adults have a greater risk of getting infected. About10 to 12 percent of bacterial meningitis cases are fatal. Of the meningitis survivors, about 20 percent suffer from long-term problems such as brain damage, kidney disease, hearing loss, or loss of limbs.
Meningitis shows up significantly at college. Students may be at greater risk due to crowded living conditions such as dormitories; sharing utensils; active or passive smoking and irregular sleeping patterns. Other high-risk groups include infants and young children, refugees, household contacts of case patients and military personnel.
Meningitis is often misdiagnosed as something less serious because early symptoms are similar to the flu. Most of the fatalities associated with meningitis occur because of failure to diagnose the disease early enough. For whatever reason, doctors may not use the most logical resources to diagnose meningitis patients.
Have you, your son or daughter or a loved one been misdiagnosed for meningitis? This is a serious offense, wrongful negligence, and medical malpractice.
Who do you turn to get help when this happens?
Contact Monheit Law for your free, no-obligation consultation so we may evaluate the facts and determine how we can help you.
